A foot into the detailed tasks of global climate diplomacy: looking back on my internship at the UNFCCC Secretariat

By Paul-Emile Pissier

My internship at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat took place in two phases: a full-time period from July to early August 2025, followed by part-time engagement from September to November. Although the entire experience was conducted remotely, the months I spent working within the Mitigation Division—specifically in the unit dealing with Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), Long-Term Low Emissions Development Strategies (LT-LEDS), and sectoral intergovernmental support—offered a concrete window into the operational machinery of international climate governance. Entering the UNFCCC Secretariat as someone committed to a future in environmental diplomacy, I was eager to understand how the institution functioned from the inside: how its teams coordinated, how high-level climate processes were translated into daily work, and how environmentally ambitious were the very people dealing with global climate policies.

A significant part of my responsibilities in the unit revolved around the ongoing preparation of the 2025 NDC Synthesis Report. This meant supporting the analysis of NDCs newly submitted by parties with a focus on mitigation targets and measures. Over the course of the internship, I analyzed more than fifteen NDCs, extracting and synthesizing these elements in ways that could feed into internal drafts and briefing material, including for the Office of the Executive Secretary. My tasks also extended to the Sharm el-Sheikh Mitigation Work Programme. In particular, I contributed to the preparation, organization, and reporting of the Six Global Dialogue and its accompanying Investment-focused Event. This involved summarizing submissions from Parties and stakeholders, helping to maintain and update the registration database of participants, and supporting logistical elements such as liaising with speakers and contributing to agenda-related tasks. Drafting official correspondence became a recurring part of my work as well. These activities offered a concrete sense of how the Secretariat facilitates global-level events, bringing together governments, experts, and observers in formats meant to foster exchange and ambition.

The experience was not without challenges. Some tasks became quite repetitive over time and offered limited intellectual engagement compared to my academic background and interests. At moments, I felt under-utilized and would have benefited from greater responsibility or more sustained involvement in analytical tasks. The remote format of the internship and the different time zones amplified this impression: initial onboarding communications were limited, and responsibilities were assigned gradually, which contributed to a sense of being somewhat peripheral to the team. Yet, despite these challenges, my team remained supportive and encouraging throughout, providing constructive feedback and ensuring I could contribute meaningfully within the constraints of the format.

Reflecting on the experience as a whole, the internship provided substantial exposure to the operational side of international climate governance. I gained insight not only into the substance of NDC analysis and event preparation, but also into the Secretariat’s internal dynamics and the practical coordination required to sustain global climate processes. The work highlighted the complexity of organizing global diplomatic events and the level of coordination needed within and between teams. Keeping the broader purpose of the institution in mind helped situate the detailed daily tasks within a larger context. Overall, the internship helped me better understand the types of work environments in which I perform best and reaffirmed my motivation to continue working at the intersection of climate policy, multilateral collaboration, and technical analysis.

I am profoundly grateful to the Center for International Environment and Resource Policy for supporting my internship. As my journey at Fletcher as a student comes to its end, I am looking forward to the future and to applying the lessons I learned during this experience to new opportunities ahead.

Paul-Emile Pissier is a MALD graduate who completed the dual-degree program with HEC Paris' Master in Management. He specialized in environmental policy and ecological diplomacy, with a focus on the Nature-Culture bridge in Europe and Indigenous environmental stewardship in North America.